WAYNE, N.J., May 2, 2012 - The drawings have been completed, the 3D computer modeling finished and today Hankook Tire announced the winners of its recently completed "Tire Design for the Future Environment" competition which took place in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).

The competition included third year industrial design students from the university and was conducted over a three month period from January through March 2012. Students were asked to create new tire designs based on their own visions of future cars, sustainability needs such as reducing and reusing raw materials used in tire production, and the importance of increasing tire efficiency and meeting specific tire performance targets. The winners, in ranked order, were:

Mark Hearn of Fremont, California for his Motive Off-Road tire design; and

Miranda Steinhauser of Gahanna, Ohio for her TESSELA tire design.

"Hankook Tire was a tremendous sponsoring partner and we are truly grateful to have been selected to participate," said Raphael Zammit, associate professor of practice, coordinator of industrial design, University of Cincinnati. "Our students were given the opportunity to not only understand the importance of tire designs in the overall efficiency, ecology and economy of road-bound transportation but also to apply their classroom knowledge in a real world situation for advanced learning and increased experience."

The competition centered on the importance that design is to the overall efficiency, ecology and economy for road-bound tires. As the competition's name implies, students were also encouraged by Hankook to consider the positive aspects that sustainability needs, such as reducing and reusing raw materials used in tire production, and increased tire efficiency can make on the environment.

The top three winning designs are undergoing patent approval currently and will be showcased at the upcoming 2012 SEMA show in Las Vegas, Nevada as part of Hankook's exhibition booth.

"We were pleased to work with the University of Cincinnati's College of DAAP, a world class industrial design institution, who, like Hankook, places a premium on learning, investment in its people, and innovation," said Calvin Pak, general manager, marketing strategy, Hankook Tire America Corp. "As a leading tire manufacturer we were excited to offer students from a leading institution a chance to explore not only their potential, but the potential of future tire design as well."

Hankook's decision to work with the University of Cincinnati comes from the school's highly rated industrial design program. The university's Industrial Design program is currently ranked as the number one undergraduate Industrial Design Program in the country by Design Intelligence, a leading institution that ranks design, art and architecture colleges. Students also have the opportunity to take part in the university's co-op program which requires students to work every other quarter within the field of their study, giving them a strong foundation in the realistic demands of the industries they will enter.

About Hankook Tire America Corp.

Hankook Tire America Corp. is a growing leader in the U.S. tire market, leveraging investments in technology, manufacturing and marketing to deliver high quality, reliable products that are safer for consumers and the environment. Headquartered in Wayne, N.J., Hankook Tire markets and distributes a complete line of high performance and ultra-high performance passenger tires, light truck, SUV tires, as well as medium truck and bus tires to more than 400 independent dealers through 3000+ retail sales locations in the United States.